Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon 70.3 Race Report

{Warning: You have been forewarned that there is some gross stuff in this race report. Like peeing on myself and eating ice out of my sports bra. So if you are easily grossed out by those types of things, you may want to forego this report}

Buffalo Springs 70.3 marked my 8^th half-ironman. I seem to remember that I swore I would never be back to this race. But as an athlete, it’s hard to say when it’s really the end, because there’s always the desire to push yourself that ONE MORE TIME. With that said, I ended up at the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon on Sunday for one last run for my money. I was coming back for revenge after the course broke me down mentally and physically on my first attempt. The race is held in Lubbock, TX in a Canyon. The swim is spring fed and traditionally wetsuit legal, but always boarderline. The bike provides 8 challenging hills with a lot of technical bike handling skills needed on the downhill switch backs (which I don’t have). The run has 3 challenging hills which I witnessed even some pro’s walking.

 One thing I will say about 70.3 races, but this one in particular is that they are really intimidating. Everyone has a nicer bike than you, everyone is fitter than you and everyone looks more hardcore than you. It can really mess with your head if you let it. I walked into transition race morning with my $1,000 used road bike that I’ve had for 5 years to be surrounded by people with their $3,000+ tri bikes, fancy wheels and fancy aero helmets. I’ve done enough where I learn to ignore it, but damn it can be intimidating. I don’t know what these people do for a living where they can afford all of this stuff, but obviously I’m in the wrong profession.

 I can’t figure out why this race attracts all of the insanely fast competition. Like stupid fast. Huge pro field and people literally from all around the world.  It’s not like Lubbock is a great destination race. It has to be because it’s a Kona Qualifier, and because people want a challenge of racing one of, if not the toughest, 70.3 races in the country. Anyway, there were some hard bodies and fast people there. Made me want to lay off my Mexican food intake for awhile.

 Pre- Race: Four a.m. came early as it always does. Iron Sherpa Dan and I got up and headed out the door of our hotel and I was feeling much less than confident. My legs felt surprisingly good from racing the Sprint the previous day, but I had major butterflies in my stomach. I knew this was going to be a difficult race and I just wasn’t sure how it was going to go. But we blasted a bunch of motivational tunes in the car and I was starting to get ready for the challenge ahead.

Pre-race: 70.3 Miles or BUST!

 The Swim – 38:53 (2:01/100m): Last time I did this race, I swam very poorly. Here’s the thing about the swim at this race: the swim waves are huge. Like 150 people per wave. All of the women started together in one wave, followed closely by a huge group of men right behind us. Last time I freaked out and got pummeled in this swim, having to stop several times to regroup. I’m comfortable enough in open water right now, that I decided to throw myself right in the mix. I knew it would mean getting kicked in the face, pushed and likely swam over, but I knew I needed to swim more aggressively this time. The gun went off and it was chaos. I had situated myself somewhat near the mid/front of the pack which made me start out way too fast. My heart rate went sky high, I was having trouble finding open space where I wasn’t getting kicked, and my breathing was labored. Instead of freaking out, I stayed calm.  I ended up with a great swim (for me)  and for once, I did not have to sit up a single time to see how much further, adjust my goggles or stop for another other reason.  My goal for the swim was sub-45, so I was ecstatic to see a 38 flash on my watch when I got out of the water.

Goal: Swim like a fish, not a turtle....

CHAOS

 The Bike – 3:23:28 (16.5 mph): I knew going into this race the bike leg would be where my weakness lies. It always is. I hadn’t done many rides over 40 miles, and ridden ever fewer hilly rides, so I knew I would start to struggle the last 16-20 miles.  I decided that no matter what, I would do what I needed to stay within my ability so that I could have a strong run. I didn’t want to get caught up in any of the draft packs and risk a penalty, so when people passed me, I let them go. I knew I could make up some serious time on the run if I didn’t kill myself on the bike.

 My other goal on the bike was to make sure I was fueling properly and staying hydrated. This is where I always seem to struggle, but I can say this race I nailed it. I knew I needed to be taking in enough fluids in the heat where I would need to use the bathroom. Because if you are taking in fluids and don’t need to use the bathroom then you’re likely dehydrated. So the good news was I was taking in fluids and had to use the bathroom. And the bad news was I was taking in fluids and had to use the bathroom. Several  times. This is where it gets gross. There was no way I was stopping and wasting valuable time to use the bathroom, so was only option was to pee on myself.  And just FYI, peeing on the bike is harder than it sounds. And, you may think you would NEVER do that, but let me assure you, you get in that situation and you will do what you gotta do. Nothing like riding your bike in 100 degree weather covered in sweat and urine…and still having to run a half marathon afterwards.

 On the last 16 miles of the bike, I was cooked.We had already climbed hill after hill and were now fighting a strong head wind the last 16 miles. Plus it was hot as shit. With about 3 miles left, we turned back into the park, and I saw Dan and my in-laws who gave me a boost to finish strong. I finished the bike about 8 minutes faster than last time.

 The Run – 1:50:19 (8:25 avg pace): You can do hundreds of these types of races and still never know how the run is going to go. It’s such an unknown with so many factors throughout the day that will contribute to how that last 13.1 miles go. My goal was to stay steady, continue to hydrate (and pee on myself...yeah) and not hit a wall. I always run completely by feel in triathlons as to not get caught up in what the Garmin says. When I got on the run I had visions of the first hill which gave me such trouble last time. The first hill is at Mile 3, and it’s seriously like a freaking mountain. Luckily, Dan and my in-laws were at Mile 3, right at the bottom of that hill, and they gave me a huge boost that I needed to get up that bitch.

Up the hill at Mile 9

 The first three miles I wasn’t feeling all that great. I was running steady but not sure if I was going to be able to continue at that pace. But, after the hill at Mile 3, I got some sort of second wind. I started to feel strong. I was passing people right and left (pay back for passing me on the bike) and I can proudly say I did not get passed by a single person on the run. My routine was to take a water and a cup of ice at each aid station. I would down the water and dump the ice down my sports bra. In between water stops if I would start to feel thirsty, I would jump grab the ice from my sports bra and eat it (gross, I know, but it worked).

There were two more big hills on the course, and I was able to power up them. I really could not believe how fast the miles were just clicking by. The course was an out and back, so I knew if I could make it to Mile 10, there would be no more hills, and I would get to see Dan and my family again. I made to back to them (and still smiling!) and knew I was close to a huge course PR and a sub-6 hour race. I put the hammer down (or as much as you can put the hammer down in a half-ironman) and squeaked in at 5:57:30, crushing my previous time of 6:22 and bettering my run time by 10 min.

Headed to the finish line!

DONE!

 The med tents were full with people hooked up to IV’s, but I felt weirdly good? It was strange. Usually after these things I fall to the ground practically comatose and unable to speak for a good 15 minutes, but this time I grabbed a water bottle and headed over to meet my spectators and chatted away. I wasn’t near as cooked as I expected.

 All in all I feel pretty accomplished out of the race. It was good day, and I’ll take those when I can get them. Buffalo Springs is definitely a course that one needs to respect. It is a race that you go to experience the challenge, and I can now feel I can say I conquered “The Beast”.

I'm done with you Buffalo Springs, see you never!

 A BIG Thank you to my Iron Sherpa Dan for driving me literally across the state of Texas, watching me race both days, standing out in the 100 degree heat and not complaining once. It wasn't just 100 degrees for us- the spectators and the volunteers were out there in the same heat, all day long. They were amazing!

 I was insanely sore yesterday (which wasn’t helped by a 6 hour car ride home) but am feeling better today. This week will be a light recovery week for me before beginning marathon training for Baltimore next week. 

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments, encouragement, good luck wishes and congratulatory wishes on the races this weekend. They meant a lot – thank you from the bottom of my sweaty and stinky heart.

REVENGE

Quick post as we are spending the rest of our stay with family:

REVENGE on Buffalo Springs 70.3 is SUCCESS. I beat my previous time by 25 minutes and improved in the swim, bike and run. And, I mean it when I say NEVER EVER AGAIN.

Last time: 6:22
This time: 5:57overall/ 38 min swim/3:23 bike/1:50 run

Headed to the finish

Red Raider Sprint Triathlon

This morning was race 1 of 2 in another double race weekend- or as my fellow blogging friend Steve put it perfectly - my own triathlon version of the Goofy Challenge.

It went well - but, I'd be lying if I didn't say I sit here a little nervously about what lies ahead tomorrow. I just keep reminding myself that it's not going to be easy, but that it's also not supposed to be easy. There's nothing to do now but put on my game face and get it done.

This is my game face.

Yesterday Dan and I made the long 6 hour drive to West Texas, picked up my packets in the most chaotic packet pickup ever, stopped by to visit Dan's family who lives here and/or is visiting and made it back to the hotel around 9 pm. My race didn't start this morning until 8:53 am, so we got to "sleep in" until 6 am, which was nice.

On to the race. The most important thing to me was that I finally got my goggle problem solved. It cost me $30 for a pair of goggles that don't fog, but it was totally worth it. I was able to swim without having to stop and de-fog my goggles and it's amazing how much better you can swim when your momentum doesn't keep getting interrupted.

Results:
500m swim/8:29 (1:42/100m) - I think the swim was a little short. While I felt I had a much stronger swim than last week, I doubt it was an almost 3 min faster effort. If not, then perhaps my new goggles had magical powers.

17.6 mile bike/1:00:17/17.6 mph - hills and wind. I'm in for a treat tomorrow.

3.1 mile run/21:34 /6:58 pace - The run was pretty flat, just hot.

Overall: 1:34:12 / 4th female/ 1st age group

Age group award - hard to see but it's Yosemite Sam!

After the race, we hung out with family and celebrated Dan's parents 45th Anniversary! Now, I'm back at the hotel for some R&R as tomorrow's wake up will be at the shining hour of 4 AM.

Here we go. See you on the flip side.

Upping the Ante

Well, shit just got crazy around here. I ended up signing up for a Sprint Triathlon on Saturday, the day before my half ironman on Sunday. And you know what? I am stoked.

So here's what went down: I was at the pool for an easy afternoon swim. One of Dan's co-workers mentions she's also going to Lubbock this weekend to race, and she's doing the Red Raider Sprint Triathlon (500m swim, 18 mile bike, 3.1 mile run) on SATURDAY. HOLD UP. In the past, this tri has been the same day as the half-ironman on Sunday; this year they moved it up a day. It's Saturday. Half Ironman on Sunday.

CUE ME SIGNING UP. My logic: perfect tune up for Sunday. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm. 

I'm doing both races because I want to. Best decision? Maybe not. But epic challenge? Yes. Cheer for me or don't. I may do great, I may fall on my face. But, I'm ready to rock. Life is short. Do Epic Shit.

Race Week!

Race week is here, and I can say that after yesterday's triathlon I am feeling a great deal more confident going into Sunday's half-ironman. Though 70.3 miles is a completely different beast, I know if I can stay in the game mentally I can finish the damn thing strong.

So a quick analysis of yesterday's race:
The Swim: My swim time was slower than I wanted as I was hoping to go sub-11. The disappointing thing is that I felt like I was swimming really strong (for me), but had to stop twice to de-fog my goggles. This pisses me off as it really throws off your rhythm. For the life of me, I cannot find goggles that do not fog. And, I've tried everything - spitting in them, goggle wipes, goggle de-fogger, different types of goggles. And every single time I get into open water the damn things fog up. If someone can find me goggles that do not fog, I'd pay them big money. I also swam off course once ... because my goggles were foggy and I couldn't see where I was going....grrrr. Anyway, I hope to get some new goggles and have a better swim (sub-45) next weekend.

The Bike: The bike went much better than expected. I ending up averaging 18.8 mph which is good for me. I started in the second to last overall wave of the day, which meant I passed a lot of people on the bike and only got passed by 1 or 2 (as opposed to starting in an earlier wave and getting passed by a ton of speedy people). This actually was good for my psyche, and I really pushed myself on the bike and didn't let my mind wander or my legs take a break.

The Run: This was my big question mark of the day. I had no idea how my legs were going to respond off the bike. Most of my brick workouts have been struggles for me and that's after not biking as hard as I just had. I don't know what happened, but I felt freaking awesome on the run. I started out at a comfortable pace, and came through Mile 1 at 7:00 min flat. From there I just dropped the hammer and ended up running the 3 miles in 19:48 for a 6:36 pace. I was pumped, and it gave me some much needed confidence going into next weekend.

So next weekend - let me start by saying that I hope we don't get last year's weather. It was 111 degrees at 5 pm last year. Yeah. This race has been around for about 23 years, and its course is known for being extremely challenging, due to it’s rough bike course (hills, windy flat-ish stretches, and bumpy rough roads), and its usually-hot temperatures.

I've done this race before. Dan also likes to remind me that when I finished this race last time I swore NEVER AGAIN. Problem with me is that I tend to have a selective memory, and so I found myself signing up for it again this year.

Here are a few things I do remember. Lubbock is very dry and very, very flat. I bet there are only six hills within 100 miles that are caused by natural canyons. The race director found all six hills for the bike course. But that was not the biggest challenge. Neither was the heat. It was the stiff wind. With the wind at my back, 18 miles per hour was easy. With the wind at my face…which seemed like most of the time, 14 miles per hour was impossible. The bike course ate me alive.

I also remember that coming out of transition on your bike, you go up a Monster Hill that is probably 600-700 meters long and at a 7.5% grade. Hello!

The run course doesn't get any easier. There are 3 really steep hills (Miles 3, 6 and 9), but what makes it worse is that by the time you're on the run  temperatures are climbing, and there is not much shade on the run course. The worst stretch was a desolate, dry, telephone-pole-lined two miles straight into the wind and no shade. Also, the sun  and the heat was makes the cow poop from the cattle yard at the side of the road stink.

Sounds like fun, huh? My goal this week is to hydrate, sleep well, eat well and not think too much about the task at hand next Sunday!

Race #2 Done

Lake Pflugerville Triathlon
5th/45 Age Group
1:19:00
500m swim/11:19 (2:16m) - 14 mile bike/44:36 (18.8 mph) - 3 mile run/19:48 (6:36 pace)

Obligatory pre-race shot

Ready to roll!!

Finishing STRONG!!!!

Post race: myself, Dan and our friend Ben

Post race beers/lunch: 1st, 2nd and 3rd amongst friends

Race #1 Done

Race #1 of 2 this weekend is in the books - the Holland Corn Festival 5k. I hate running 5k's. You have to go hard right out of the starting gate! My body doesn't like that. Uh uh.

First of all, let's take a moment to reflect on this picture of me warming up before the race.

While I was busting out a peace sign, it's actually foreshadowing my finish at the race. Meaning, I'm indicating that I'm the second place woman AGAIN at this race. Time to speed it up woman, second place is the first looser! 

2nd again. Womp womp womp. Will never flash this again pre-race. Ha!

All jokes aside, I was very happy with how this race went. 

Results were 3.12 miles/20:26/6:32 pace.

2nd overall woman

I was 8 seconds slower than last year, which isn't too disappointing post-injury. I ran what I felt was a solid race, and kept my splits pretty even. I was 4th woman about 1.25 miles in, and was able to pick up 2 spots on the back half. My endurance is getting better, my speed is getting better, I just need to keep on working at it.

A few more highlights from the morning:

• I got to hang out and run with friends, including getting to see some friends I haven't seen or run with in awhile. Can't beat that.
• I got to meet the super speedy overall female winner - who happens to read my blog (how cool is that?) AND is from Northern Virginia as well. As well as being really fast, she's also very nice. Thanks for introducing yourself, Meredith!
• I got another famous "Corn Cob Trophy". Most unique racing trophy I've seen.
• And this might top my morning - the lady who crossed the finish line pushing a stroller, then lit a cigarette. Yes, that happened. Classic.

Tri gear is packed, pre-race swim done, bike is tuned up, legs are up - time to see what tomorrow's triathlon holds for me!

Obligatory pre-race photo at dark thirty

 

 

Hello from Holland, Texas!

Trying to catch Paul. No luck!

Rounding the corner, headed to the finish.

First and Second Place Female. Nice to meet you, Meredith!

Awards shot. I have some fast friends!

Corn Cob Trophy!

Double Race Weekend

It's time to get excited: it's a double race weekend. I'm hoping my legs decide to join the party! Saturday I'll be at the Holland Corn Festival 5k, and Sunday I will be swimming, biking and running at the Lake Pflugerville Sprint Triathlon (500m swim/14 mile bike/3 mile run).

It’s no secret that I’m a little crazy. No secret. For me to sign up for back to back races is no big deal. This is the third time I've raced these events back to back. So this shouldn't faze me. But, I'd be lying if I said I'm not nervous about how this weekend is going to pan out. My goal this week was to get plenty of rest, watch my nutrition, dial back the intensity on my workouts. I was pretty much 0-3. I woke up this morning tired and sore, then started stressing out because I'm tired and sore, yadda yadda yadda. My goal today is to get my head back in the game and light a fire under my a$$ to get out there and give it all I've got. No excuses.

So, my goals...

Saturday's 5k: Last year I ran 20:18 at this race. I would like to beat last year's time, but to be honest from my speedwork lately, I am not sure that will happen. I haven't raced a 5k in a really long time, so I am not sure what to expect? The course is an out and back, where you run up a hill to the turn-around point. Unfortunately, you lose some momentum as you make the turn around as you literally run a sharp turn around a cone. So while it's not a terribly difficult course, it's not a PR course either. Not to mention it will be hot as donkey balls. Based on my speedwork, I seem to be hovering around a 6:40 pace for mile repeats, which would mean around a 20:42 5k. Maybe I'll surprise myself.

Sunday's Triathlon: Last year I did this race in 1:23:36. This year I am shooting for a sub-1:23, and I somewhat confident I can attain this. Last year we had horrific weather for this race (incredibly high winds) so if the weather plays somewhat nice this year, I should be able to improve on my time. My big question mark for this race is how I run off the bike. I have always been able to rely on my run strength to carry me to a decent finish in triathlons (bascially my run speed would make up for a sucky swim/bike), but I am not as confident with my run this year, especially given my recent brick workouts. I would love to go sub-7 pace on the run portion, but it will just depend on how my legs respond off the bike. I have no idea what to expect on the bike, and if I can stay on course (I have the tendency to swim off course in open water) during the swim I should do okay.

So there you have it! To be honest, I’ve been somewhat unmotivated to train as of late. I’ve been going through the motions for the most part as the fire doesn’t burn the way it used to. I think this weekend will be great for motivation and inspiration.

Happy training!

It's not supposed to be easy...

That's what I keep telling myself anyways. I can say that nothing in this training cycle (prep for Buffalo Springs Half-Ironman) has been as easy as I thought it would be. In fact, it's been much harder. Most every "big" workout has been humbling ... some incredibly humbling. But, I'm reminded that some training cycles come easy with PR after PR - I was lucky to have many of those cycles last year - where others will continually knock you down and force you to get up and keep fighting. And those cycles are okay too. I know they will make me stronger in the long run and appreciate future PR's even more.

And to be honest, part of my problem has been mental breakdown on my end. I've gotten into the bad habit of comparing my current self with my former self. This is a dangerous habit to get into. Over the past two years, I trained for two big events - first, an Ironman and then a 50-miler. As as my harshest critic, I have been struggling not to compare the workouts I am cranking out now, with the ones I was cranking out back then. For example, I finished a 15 mile run on Saturday SPENT. Unable to run any further. And while I should be congratulating myself for knocking out a strong long run - my longest post-injury- I instead starting feeling out of shape and frustrated, remembering when 15 miles was a just a short run I used to do in my sleep while training for a 50 miler. Same sob story on Sunday. I finished one of my better rides as of late - 41 hot and windy miles that kicked my butt. And of course my first thought was - GAH, I remember when 40 miles was nothing when training for an Ironman. I used to ride 60, 80, 100 miles all the time. I am so out of shape. I suck.

So, my first task is to STOP DWELLING, STOP COMPARING and realize no one, besides Super Man, is constantly in peak shape and knocking out beastly workouts 24/360. There are peaks and valleys in training.

Back to the weekend. This was my last "big" weekend of training before back to back races this weekend (5k/Sprint Triathlon) and the half-ironman next weekend. My plan was to try to spend quality "time on feet" to hopefully emulate the 6ish hours I will spent swimming/biking/running on June 24.

Saturday: My plan, similar to last weekend, was a reverse triathlon type training day with a long run, bike, swim - in that order. It panned out as follows: 15 mile run/18 mile bike/500m open water swim. Saturday I joined a friend's run group in Round Rock where I proceeded to work my butt off to keep up with the boys on 15 miles of basically hills (anyone who has run in Teravista/Westinghouse/Rabbit Hill Rd can feel my pain). We started at 8 min miles and dropped the pace to 7:30-7:40 for the last few to finish at a 7:50 pace. After the run, I loaded up my bike and headed to Pflugerville for some miles on the bike, followed by an open water swim in the lake. I wanted to bike on tired legs to emulate those last 15 or so miles of the bike portion at Buffalo Spring where I will be wanting to through my bike off a cliff. Mission accomplished.

Sunday: My plan was to ride 40, run 5, then swim long course (in a 50m pool). I ended up with 41 miles on the bike, but only made it 1 mile on the run before calling it quits, putting my tail beneath my legs and walking home. It.was.just.so.hot. And the wind was blowing so hard. And I just couldn't do it that day. I quickly realized that I (once again) had not hydrated enough on the bike and started to get chills about 1 mile into the run. At that point, I called it a day. I came home, refueled, rested and recharged. Later that afternoon, I was able to get in 1600m in the pool, but still all day I had trouble shaking the disappointment and negative thoughts of the troubles I have been repeatedly having running off the bike (which is usually my strong point).

As they say, at this point the hay is in the barn. I've done what I can, and I'll do what I do come race day and be proud. Sometimes I forget where I am going on this journey and how far I have come, but with a little attention to what I have learned over this last training cycle I can learn a lot about myself.

Oh the irony...

Today is National Running Day. It's all over Facebook, Twitter, blogs, running companies are doing promotions, blah blah blah.

Today's a day that even non-runners may lace up their shoes for a mile or two, just to say they've run on National Running Day. So, a crazy & obsessed runner like myself who rarely misses a day of running is surely logging some miles today? Right? Wrong. I'm not running today. Oh the irony.

It's not because I don't want to run. My mind is screaming YES to a run, but unfortunately my legs are screaming NOOOOO crazy lady. After a big week last week that rolled into a big weekend of training, a 10 miler on Monday and an intense 12x400 workout yesterday, my legs were screaming for a rare mid-week day off from running. Which of course falls on National Running Day. Go figure. So, I'll be swimming and probably am the only runner who is not celebrating this day with some miles. Woe is me.

In other news, I have no news. I'm about 2 weeks out from my half-ironman and seriously questioning my sanity of signing up for this race. A half-ironman in Texas in June? Brilliant. Needless to say I am a little worried as it's already pushing mid-90 degree temps most days, and the heat and I have not been getting along well in training. Pretty much every run off the bike has been a death march for me. Oh well. Too late the turn back now.

Run some miles for me today. Please and thank you.